Overview
- Federal-Decree Law No. 6 of 2025 took effect on September 16, replacing the 2018 banking statute and redefining regulated financial activity to include crypto infrastructure.
- Article 62 brings technologies that engage in or facilitate financial activity under Central Bank oversight, covering self-custody wallets, APIs, blockchain explorers, analytics platforms and some decentralised protocols.
- Article 61 treats the marketing, promotion or advertising of financial services as licensable, extending requirements to emails, websites and social media posts about unlicensed crypto services.
- Article 170 criminalizes unlicensed activity with potential imprisonment and fines ranging from AED 50,000 up to AED 500,000,000.
- The rules apply to products reachable from within the UAE, weaken the shelter of free-zone regimes such as VARA and ADGM, and grant a grace period until September 16, 2026 as additional implementing regulations are anticipated.